1. The Core Utility
Pledges in *Changeling: The Lost* (1st Edition) are narratively vital but mechanically dense. This tool acts as a **cognitive aid** to automate the "point-buy" balancing math, allowing you to focus on the story while the Wyrd calculates the cost.
2. The Master's Loom (The Wizard)
Designed for those who want a guided thought-process. The Loom navigates you through the five pillars of a canonical pact:
- Tasks (-X): Define the sacrifices or duties each participant accepts.
- Boons (+X): Define the supernatural gifts or worldly rewards granted.
- Sanctions (-X): Define the penalties for breaking the bond.
- Equilibrium: The Wyrd demands a net zero balance. The Loom will suggest terms to perfectly restore the scales.
- Anchors: Choose how the pact is sealed (Vows, Oaths, or Corporal pacts).
3. The Ledger (Manual Editor)
For storytellers who need granular control or want to refine a pact after using the Loom.
Click "Inspect Ledger" to view the manual interface. Here you can:
- Phase 1/2 Toggles: Create complex, multi-stage pledges where certain boons only trigger after earlier tasks are completed.
- Custom Flavor: Define the exact wording of each term to match your campaign's narrative.
- Real-Time Balancing: Watch the "Scales of the Wyrd" update live as you add or remove terms.
4. Divine the Lore
Once your mechanics are balanced, click "Divine the Lore" to generate a specialized AI prompt. This prompt is designed to help an LLM scribe your balanced mechanics into atmospheric, in-character prose, using metaphors tailored to your chosen seasonal court.
5. Archiving & Sharing
Pacts are secured through two primary decentralized methods:
- The Archive of Oaths: A local library to save and recall dozens of pledges on your current device.
- The Eternal Echo: Generate a unique "Share Pact" link that encodes the entire state of your pledge into the URL. Bookmark this link to save the pact forever in your campaign notes.
- Community Codex: Import or export JSON files to share custom templates and merits with other storytellers.
✥ Atmospheric Extras
Beyond the core utility, the Ledger ecosystem includes several enhancements for thematic immersion:
- Seasonal Themes: Switch between Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Arcadia to shift the entire UI's mood.
- The Master Switch CLI: A Python tool (
themes/switch.py) to synchronize your Linux desktop environment (Waybar, i3, terminals) with your chronicle's current season.
- The Grand Scroll: Atmospheric @media print styles that transform the ledger into a printable, parchment-textured artifact.